Love on the Court
by shutupgreenberg
Summary: Basketball captain Edward Cullen is about to lose the biggest game of his life. When inspiration comes from the unlikeliest of sources, will it be enough to pull off a victory? One-shot. AH.


The red glowing numbers on the scoreboard mocked me, reminding me that my team was down by 1 with 5 seconds left in the game.

This wasn't just any old high school basketball game, either. Our little Forks High team had somehow made it to the state finals. I was a senior, and this was the last 5 seconds of my high school career.

The time out flew by quickly. Coach had used a full, but if felt like only a second or two. We piled our hands together, said a quick "team," and took our places on the court.

My brother, Emmett, hurled to ball to me where I stood at half court. Coach's plan was for me to take the ball down, do a spin dribble, and pull up for a jump shot. If I got fouled, that was all the better. I've got the best foul shot percentage in all of western Washington, or so my best friend Jasper said. But when I'd listen to the play, I knew it'd be easier said than done.

I crossed the three point line and stopped dead in my tracks. Wondering why the heck I'd stop with 2 seconds left of the most important game of my life? I'll use the universal excuse to guys' stupid behavior: a girl.

How I picked this girl from the hundreds—maybe thousands—at the game now, I'll never know. But the thing that caught my attention was not the fact that she was really pretty. Because, don't get me wrong, she was. Her long, mahogany hair glistened in the harsh arena lighting. Her skin was beautifully pale, and what parts of her face I could see that weren't obscured by the book she was reading were delicate and refined.

That's right, the _book she was reading._ Could that book have been so interesting that it was worth missing this exciting game for? That was like watching reruns of Hannah Montana when the Superbowl was on.

I noticed all of this in a mere second or two…adrenaline can be an awesome thing. While I was gawking like a fool, some guy from the other team slammed into me, creating an obvious foul. It wasn't really the guy's fault, though. Even I hadn't expected to come to such a sharp stop.

The Forks' fan section leapt to their feet and screamed for all they were worth. That foul made 7; it was now in bonus. As I approached the line for my first 1 on 1 shot, my teammates slapped my back and smacked my butt for congratulations and wishing good luck.

As I dropped the ball three times and spun it twice, my usual foul shot routine, I noticed that the girl reading seemed very familiar. Just before I shot, I glanced over at her, and as she adjusted her book, I realized it was Bella Swan, the shy girl from my biology class.

Since I only had 10 seconds for a shot, I brought the ball up and released it, gently pushing forward. It flew easily towards the net, hit the backboard, and went in. We were now tied. Though I was a basketball fanatic, and it had been my dream to win a state championship, I couldn't get Bella off my mind in the several seconds of thought I was given while the fans cheered for my basket and my teammates congratulated me.

She had looked seriously pretty, and I was wondering why I hadn't liked her in _that way_ before. She was really shy, but sweet and smart when she did talk. I looked back at her seat once again, and when I saw she was still reading, rolled my eyes. The friend that was standing beside Bella saw me staring at her and answered my silent plea by nudging her and pointing at me. When Bella's smooth chocolate eyes met mine, I waved before turning back to the referee for the ball.

Surprisingly, I felt almost no pressure while taking the shot. I was making this one for Bella, now that she was looking, and I was confident I could make it. The ball made a satisfying _swish_ as it slid through the net. The other team had 1.3 seconds to make a play, and their point guard only took one step before the final buzzer rang.

Even as my team formed a dog pile on top of me and the roar made by the residents of Forks filled my ears, nothing felt real or sank in. I was happy, I think. Then it started to set in…we had just won the championship! I wish I could see my dad Carlisle's face now. His team only made it to the quarter-finals when he played. He'd be so proud of me.

Over all the happiness, I felt a sense of relief at this victory. Wining a state championship was my dream and one of the most important life goals I made while growing up. The opportunity had arisen, and I'd done it.

I somehow found a way to escape the dog pile and crawled away from the madness. The smile that I thought might be permanently etched into my face fell slightly when I spotted Bella freaking _reading_ again. I charged up the bleaches and over to her.

"What is so important in that stupid book?" I demanded once I was close to her.

She jumped a little, put that ungodly piece of literature aside, and stood to meet me.

"Hey, Superstar," she said innocently. "Nice shots, by the way."

Any anger I felt towards her just kind of blew out the window. I kind of adored the casual way we were talking. It was like we were true friends, not just friendly biology partners.

"Thanks…they were for you." I hadn't meant to just come out and say it, but what the heck?

She blinked up at me, and her face flushed. She bit her lip, and it drove me crazy in ways I wouldn't care to admit.

"Wh-what?"

"I needed to get your attention somehow. You never told me why you were reading during my big game."

"_Your_ big game, huh?"

I shrugged. She laughed.

"I'm not really a sporty girl. I just came to…" she trailed off.

"Came to what?" She definitely had me interested now.

"I wanted to see you," she said so quietly and quickly that I wasn't sure I'd heard right. But when she blushed furiously, looked down, and wrung her hands, I knew I had."

"Then I realized just how stupid it was and knew I shouldn't have come." Her face tilted up to look at me, and her eyes were filled with a passion I'd never seen in her. "But now, this is a good chance to tell you how I really feel. I've always thought you were great. You're so smart, but funny, too. When I first came here, you didn't treat me as an outcast like the other kids did. I admired that."

Bella had a crush on me since she'd met me? She'd moved to Forks in our sophomore year. She'd liked me all that time?

I am a very impulsive person. But that's only partly the excuse for what I did next. She just looked so beautiful; brown eyes sparkling, teeth biting down softly on her bottom lip. The things she told me were some of the sweetest things I'd ever heard. Maybe—just maybe—I had a little thing for Bella too.

I didn't care that I was sweaty and tired from the game. I didn't care that I had broken up with my ex-girlfriend Tanya just a week or two ago. And I most certainly didn't care that it was quite possible the whole population of Forks was watching me.

I pulled Bella close to me, arms snaking around her waist, and I kissed her. Boy, did I _kiss_ her. And man, did she _kiss me_.

Who knew the timid Bella Swan was such a good kisser? She responded instantly to my kiss, sliding her arms around my neck. I resisted the urge to pick her up just to get closer to her. I also fought desperately against the groan that was building in my throat. I lost that battle.

Bella took in a shaky breath while I squeezed her even tighter to me. After a minute of glorious kissing, I reluctantly broke away while she stared at me from below impossibly long lashes.

"Does your book beat this?" I asked a little smugly. She laughed and vehemently shook her head as she went in for another kiss. This was definitely turning into an awesome day.

--.-- 3 months later --.--

"Hey, Superstar."

One of my favorite voices sounded from behind me. I turned just in time for her lips to meet mine in a quick kiss. I had started eating lunch outside today by myself since Bella's last class was running a little late. She slid into my lap and my arms circled her in a warm embrace.

I couldn't believe we had only been dating for three months. It felt like so much longer. I was really excited to spend this summer with Bella, but I'd miss her when she went to the University of Washington while I went down to Stanford on a basketball scholarship.

"Guess what came out today?" Bella teased in a sing-songy voice.

"I don't know, love. Will you tell me?" I asked before kissing the tip of her nose.

She pulled a heavy book out from behind her back. How I didn't notice it before was a mystery. On the cover, in gold block letters was, "Forks High School 2009-2010: A Year to Make Memories."

"Remind me again who picks the cheesy yearbook slogans?"

"Hey," she defended. "Don't hate on the Journalism staff!" I laughed and reached for the book, but she stopped me.

"I want you to see this first." I was a little scared of the mysterious glint in her eye. She flipped to a section that was devoted to our journey to the state championship. It showed combinations of live action shots from the games and shots from parties and of crazy fans. Something in the very middle of the page caught my attention, and I immediately knew this was what Bella was talking about.

It was a picture of Bella and me at the championship game…while we were kissing. The caption under it simply read: "**Love on the Court**—Basketball captain Edward Cullen celebrates his victory with Bella Swan."


End file.
